Free Throw Line Is Becoming A Lonely Island For Miami Heat

Season after season the Miami Heat’s defense gives us an abundance of things to pick apart and complain about, and that has not changed this year.

With that in mind, let’s take the opportunity not to be redundant — for the moment — and turn our attention to a new flaw in shooting that has been plaguing them so badly that Dwyane Wade’s wife, Gabrielle Union, was moved to comment about it during a recent postgame photobomb.

First off, the spirit of the shot is entirely in the name; they are free throws at the basket. There is no one guarding you, no hands in your face and zero schemes to figure out. This is why it is so hard to fathom how a team without a single player shooting less than 65 percent from the line for their career — not counting the 36 percent of Hassan Whiteside who only contributed two misses in garbage time — could look like they have Shaquille O’Neal, DeAndre Jordan and Dwight Howard pulling them down.

In back-to-back games with the Washington Wizards and New York Knicks, the Heat barely broke 60 percent from the line while missing 12 free throws in each contest. There was even a stretch of seven missed in a row. Things became so bad that a Miami commentator hinted that the Wizards should probably intentionally foul players who drove to the basket because they were failing to convert so many and-ones.

This may be nothing more than a hiccup, but it is definitely one that has been a momentum killer for the last two games. If they can get back to their previous 80 percent of the past, the team could be in great shape — providing they actually play a little defense.

Richard Nurse is a writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @blackirishpr or add him to your network on Google.